"We see, in many a land, the proudest dynasties and tyrannies still crushing, with their mountain weight, every free motion of the Consciences and hearts of men. We see, on the other hand, the truest heroism for the right and the greatest devotion to the Truth in hearts that God has touched. We have a work to do, as great as our forefathers and, perhaps, far greater. The enemies of Truth are more numerous and subtle than ever and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. If we are not debtors to the present, then men were never debtors to their age and their time. Brethren, we are debtors to the hour in which we live. Oh, that we might stamp it with Truth and that God might help us to impress upon its wings some proof that it has not flown by neglected and unheeded." -- C.H. Spurgeon . . . "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31, 32 . . . . . Our Website is UNDER CONSTRUCTION, please be patient!

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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Our nation has been the recipient of the bountiful blessings of God these past couple of centuries. The freedoms that we have enjoyed throughout our history is both a burden and blessing. With the freedoms given us, each man has the awesome responsibility to protect and abide by it.

The following article is to remind us that freedom comes with a price, many have died to protect our freedoms, but we all share the responsibility. It is every mans burden and blessing to care for, to protect and to value the freedoms given us in the Constitution and The Bill of Rights.

Know Your Rights or You Will Lose ThemBy John W. Whitehead6/22/2009

"It astonishes me to find... [that so many] of our countrymen... should be contented to live under a system which leaves to their governors the power of taking from them the trial by jury in civil cases, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of commerce, the habeas corpus laws, and of yoking them with a standing army. This is a degeneracy in the principles of liberty... which I [would not have expected for at least] four centuries."--Thomas Jefferson, 1788

The following true incident is a case in point for Hentoff's claim. A young attorney, preparing to address a small gathering about the need to protect freedom, especially in the schools, wrote the text of the First Amendment on a blackboard. After carefully reading the text, a woman in the audience approached the attorney, pointed to the First Amendment on the board and remarked, "My, the law is really changing. Is this new?" The woman was a retired schoolteacher.

For more than 200 years, Americans have enjoyed the freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion, among others, without ever really studying the source of those liberties, found in the Bill of Rights--the first ten amendments to our U. S. Constitution.

Yet never has there been a time when knowing our rights has been more critical and safeguarding them more necessary. Particularly telling is the fact that even under the Obama presidency, most of the Bush administration policies and laws that curtailed our freedoms have remained intact--all of which have drastically altered the landscape of our liberties.

Thus, it is vital that we gain a better understanding of what Thomas Jefferson described as "fetters against doing evil." If not, I fear that with each passing day, what Jefferson called the "degeneracy" of "the principles of liberty" will grow worse until, half asleep, Americans will lose what our forefathers fought and died for.

A short summary of the first ten amendments shows how vital these freedoms are.

The First Amendment protects the freedom to speak your mind and protest in peace without being bridled by the government. It also protects the freedom of the media, as well as the right to worship and pray without interference. In other words, Americans cannot be silenced by the government.

The Second Amendment guarantees "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." This is one of the most controversial provisions of the Bill of Rights. Indeed, there are those who claim that gun ownership in America should be restricted solely to the police and other government officials. In many countries, owning a firearm is a mere privilege, reserved for the rich and powerful. Self-protection, however, is not a privilege in America. It is an individual citizen right which the U.S. Supreme Court has now recognized.

America was born during a time of martial law. British troops stationed themselves in homes and entered property without regard to the rights of the owners. That is why the Third Amendment prohibits the military from entering any citizen's home without "the consent of the owner." Even though today's military does not threaten private property, this amendment reinforces the principle that civilian-elected officials are superior to the military. But increasingly, even under the Obama presidency, the threat of martial law being imposed is a clear and present danger.

There's a knock at the door. The police charge in and begin searching your home. They invade your privacy, rummaging through your belongings. You may think you're powerless to stop them, but you're not. The Fourth Amendment prohibits the government from searching your home without a warrant approved by a judge. But what about other kinds of invasions? Your telephone, mail, computer and medical records are now subject to governmental search. Even though they're all personal and private, they are increasingly at risk for unwarranted intrusion by government agents. The ominous rise of the surveillance state threatens the protections given us by this amendment.

You cannot be tried again after having been found innocent. The government cannot try you repeatedly for the same crime, hoping to get the result they want. It's one of the legal protections of the Fifth Amendment. Moreover, you cannot be forced to testify against yourself. You can "plead the Fifth." This means that if you are accused of committing a crime, it is up to the state to prove its case against you. You are innocent until proven guilty, and government authorities cannot deprive you of your life, your liberty or your property without following strict legal codes of conduct.

The Sixth Amendment spells out the right to a "speedy and public trial." An accused person can confront the witnesses against him and demand to know the nature of the charge. The government cannot legally keep someone in jail for unspecified offenses.Moreover, unlike many other countries, Americans also have the right to be tried by a jury of ordinary citizens and to be represented by an attorney. Our fates in criminal proceedings are not decided by panels of judges or unaccountable politicians.

Property ownership is a fundamental right of free people. In a legal dispute over property, the Seventh Amendment guarantees citizens the right to a jury trial.

Like any other American citizen, those accused of being criminals have rights under the Constitution as well. In some countries, the government abuses what they see as disloyal or troublesome citizens by keeping them in jail indefinitely on trumped-up charges. If they cannot pay their bail, then they're not released. The Eighth Amendment is, thus, similar to the Sixth--it protects the rights of the accused. These are often the people most susceptible to abuse and who have the least resources to defend themselves. This amendment also forbids the use of cruel and unusual punishment.

The framers of our Constitution were so concerned about civil liberties that they wished to do everything conceivable to protect our future freedom. Some of the framers opposed a bill of rights because it might appear that these were the only rights the people possessed. The Ninth Amendment remedied that by providing that other rights not listed were nonetheless retained by the people. Our rights are inherently ours, and our government was created to protect them. The government does not, nor did it ever, have the power to grant us our rights. Popular sovereignty--the belief that the power to govern flows upward from the people rather than downward from the rulers--is clearly evident in this amendment and is a landmark of American freedom.

Ours is a federal system of government. This means that power is divided among local, state and national entities. The Tenth Amendment reminds the national government that the people and the states retain every authority that is not otherwise mentioned in the Constitution. Congress and the President have increasingly assumed more power than the Constitution grants them. However, it's up to the people and the state governments to make sure that they obey the law of the land.

Having stood the test of time, there is little doubt that the Bill of Rights is the greatest statement for freedom ever drafted and put into effect. In the end, however, it is the vigilance of "we the people" that will keep the freedoms we hold so dear alive. Therefore, know your rights, exercise them freely or you're going to lose them.

6 comments:

Anonymous
said...

All of this stuff is just too hard to handle. Leaves you tired and your mind swimming. Think I would rather spend my time reading the word and seeking the Lord on how to become more like him and spend my days in prayer that He will come soon. This stuff fries my brain.

While I agree that it is not balanced to have one’s complete attention solely devoted to the increasing end-times events, and that the effect can be overwhelming, and consuming to our hearts and minds; I do believe that we should not ignore these things while keeping them in the proper perspective.

As difficult as the information we present is, it is a reality. It is not fantasy. We cannot simply stick our noses in our Bibles and ignore everything else.

We have an awesome responsibility to God for our spiritual walks, and we are also accountable to each other. We are to be watchmen, to be evangelists, to warn and present the Gospel, and to expose deception under the lens of Scripture.

Many are lost; many in my own family are caught up in the “new age, new world order” mind sets. I hope to reach them and as many others as I can, to fish them out of the nets that they are trapped in, to expose the deception of their mind and to lead them to Jesus Christ.

It really isn’t the intention of our hearts to scare you or anyone for that matter, but to inform.

I pray that the Lord who is able, gird us up and strengthen us all in the inner man; to keep us sound in the faith and in the knowledge of the One who has saved us from sin and death. I pray for great courage of heart and boldness to speak the truth in love, to present the Gospel message to all, to stand and fight the good fight of Faith. I pray that we are as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. I pray that we take heed that no man deceive us and to have a heart for the lost. Keep us Lord; and fill us with your Spirit that you will be magnified and that we will be used for Your Glory, in Jesus’ Name AMEN!

I can empathize with the anonymous commentator in that these matters, especially when initially investigated are indeed overwhelming. I can recall back in '93 when I and two brothers of mine had the unusual privilege of being exposed to some rather alarming material, of which I was skeptical at first. Upon further investigation, much to my dismay, it was entirely true material, and as we looked into this further, the information began snowballing to the degree that for a time (because searching out this info overshadowed our more important stewardship for our souls in the ministering of God's Word for our edification) it consumed our minds.One needn't get into all the finer details of much that's considered New World Order material; just a basic understanding of its roots, its progression, its goals, and the desire of its ultimate acheivement is enough for the average Christian. The New World Order began as soon as Lucifer said in his heart (while still in heaven): "I will ..." instead of "Thy (God) will . . ." as described in Isaiah 14. Once that occured, there was no longer a single authority in the universe, that being God. A second, diabolically evil authority asserted itself, and sought the domain of Earth, and its inhabitants (Adam and Eve), which it was successful in doing. The New World Order then became incorporated at the Tower of Babel, which God halted when He confused the languages. This "Babel" philosophy of a one world gov. and religion has re-coalesced and is now solidifying in these last days, just as the Bible prophesied thousands of years ago.They want political, economic, social and spiritual control over every person on planet Earth, with the ultimate goal in mind, to create a uniform mentality that will eventually bow the knee to the Coming World Leader, a.k.a. the Beast of Revelation, commonly known as THE anti-Christ.In light of the article by A.M. Kisley (NICE JOB btw!), may I present this excellent article re: Christians recognizing governmental authority- what's biblically acceptable and what is not:http://www.cuttingedge.org/News/n2229.cfm

This is anonymous. I think when I made my comment I was very frustrated with all that is going on in our world. It scares me and when I spend a lot of time reading things about it or watching the news I get more afraid than I have ever been. I always have to go and read the word and pray or I am a mess. I guess some people can handle all of this but I do not seem to be able too. I am very old and have seen many things over the last decades and I am grateful that you responded to my comment with kindness. I so want us to all be faithful to Jesus and not be deceived into what is happening around us. I get afraid that I will not be true to him. I will now tell you my name and from now on if I do comment I will use it. I was just afraid to do that. My name is Violet and I love Jesus very much.

Greetings Violet, and thank you for your candid response; I pray that the LORD bless you to overflowing with His peace, His love, His joy (the JOY of the LORD is our strength!). Remember that He is ever present in the midst of our storms, and He is LORD of all. Nothing transpires in this world without His express permission, and the same goes for the events in our lives personally.The LORD knows what we can bear, and what we can't; He is ever present with His empowering grace to sustain the weak kneed saint, and to instill in them such holy boldness and conviction, even to our own amazement! I believe that because you are so concerned about being faithful to the LORD, this shows your genuine heart towards Jesus, and that such a heart will cry out and be heard by the LORD in your hour of trial, and He WILL SUSTAIN YOU, EMBOLDEN YOU, REINFORCE YOUR CONVICTIONS, and grant YOU PEACE BEYOND UNDERSTANDING!Violet if you would like some Bible topics to read, please feel free to visit my blog: its on THE NAKED TRUTH web site, listed as FROM The MIND Of FIRE. I hope it blesses and encourages you!

Thank you for responding again. I am so glad that you left us your name, dear sister; we appreciate your comments and do take them to heart.

I just wanted to send you a wonderful scripture promise that we can all hang onto, it comes from the book of Romans, and is a great source of encouragement for us.

Romans 8:22-39

“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. {because: or, that}

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth...Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

"We see, in many a land, the proudest dynasties and tyrannies still crushing, with their mountain weight, every free motion of the Consciences and hearts of men. We see, on the other hand, the truest heroism for the right and the greatest devotion to the Truth in hearts that God has touched. We have a work to do, as great as our forefathers and, perhaps, far greater. The enemies of Truth are more numerous and subtle than ever and the needs of the Church are greater than at any preceding time. If we are not debtors to the present, then men were never debtors to their age and their time. Brethren, we are debtors to the hour in which we live. Oh, that we might stamp it with Truth and that God might help us to impress upon its wings some proof that it has not flown by neglected and unheeded." -- C.H. Spurgeon

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." II Timothy 3:1-7 – The Bible

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